The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-29
In HOPELESS BONDAGE.

Evils OF the 'Pluek-Mo" store system.
Philadelphia Record.
Hazebrook miner with his tools upon his
back and a silver half-dollar in his pocket,
passed through Hazleton this morning. seeking
netter fortune than he left behind nin at the
Wentz mine. This man has worked In the Halle
brook colliery for the three years during which
10 has been in operation. He left behind him
large family, with the threat OF eviction hanging
over them, an empty pocket book and a debt Of
nearly 800 due the company store. dc Is one
Of the best miners in this section, has
TO be done in the mine, and. during
fr><nree years. has not drawn dime in
cash from the operators of the colliery. He has
now obtained work in a mine where the evils of
the ompary store not known. and hopes to
get a home for his family before the relentless
mining police shall turn them out upon the wild
mountain slope at Hazlebrook This man was
Patrick McHugh, the first OF the striking miners
to get work elsewhere The silver piece in Nc
Hueh's possession came from the slender earn
ings of his two sons, who are old enough to help
in the coliery. and but for the assistance from
this source the father, after three years hard
labor In bad air and out OF the sunlight would
have been compelled to walk with his tools the
twenty weary miles of mountain road which led
TO his new place of work.
do what we would" said McHugh, 1--WE could
not get ahead; we could not even get enough to
wear, and Just managed to get enough to eat
III we made 500 month every dollar and more
was eaten up by the store. the rent and what we
were compelled TO pay to the company for sup
plies. The result was the same II we Melted $4O
month, or $50 or So the store bill swallowedit
Hazlebrook during the past three years
has been that Of the young men. or
few dollars at long intervals from the boys
III one of us began to get ahead there were
obstacles put in our way to keep our noses
down. It was the evident intention OF the firm
TO have us always in debt to il, and thus keep
is under its thumb. We could seldom get nee
sssary clothing from the store, because they
kept sharp lookout, and If the account for food
began to run up we would be refused dry goods
Indeed ut the prices charged at the store, 1t
o gAt L
worked with my two boys in the mine as con-
Btantly as there was work TO do, and we re-
seived In return just enough to eat and keep us
from starvation, and a few articles of clothing,
but not enough of the latter for our necessities.
At all of the colheries in this region the com
pany store is to be found, but with few rare ex-
reptions not without immediate competition. A
comparison of prices for the month OK March
charged upon the store books of the Hazlebrook
colliery with prices in Hazeton and ct Stockton,
two miles distant, shows that 81 in Stockton or
or in the city would purchase a much as $l.30
could purchase at the Wentz store In short
the Hazlebrook miners are working for 75-cent
dollars. The monthly checks given to the
miners at Hazlebrook show that the net earn
ings of the miners there have been from s45 to
$50 a month. Had this money come to
them in cash the problem Of living fairly and
saving little could have been solved easily,
the miners say. The Stockton colliery ia in
sight, and here the miners are badly off enough.
but they are princes compared with those at
Hazlebrook The Stockton miners live in
weather board houses and there is always a
dollar to be found in the locker of thrifty fam
lily there. They earn about the same those
at Hazlston, the average being about $50 a
month net But their store bills % per
cent. less, and they get fresh milk in their
coffee, too. if they like thing unknown in
+, Hazlebrook. for no milk-wagon can enter tho
barred road to the Wentz colliery. Sometimes.
when a miners bill at the store at Halle
ton reaches q certain point he cannot
even get groceries. or -four, or meat And this
when he is down under ground working for the
operators of the mine for the bare necessities of
life. Nobody is allowed absolutely to starve.
but it comes pretty near to that sometimes.
Here is what a gentleman who investigated the
condition OF things ut this colery last winter,
says: During the cold days of wiuter-and
winter is very cold up here-children have been
seen going to school through the snow with
stockings, and their bare toes sticking out of
large holes in their shoes. Fathers have gone
into the mines with empty dinner pals in order
to keep up Appearances"
Miner McHugh was asked about the quality
OF flour given out at the store. 1T seems to do
fairly well in the summer, but can't make
bread from it fit to eat in the winter. You see,
although we keep thrse stoves going in the win
ter. it is so cold that, although put the dough
close to the fire. it will not rise. aud half the
time can't eat the bread ut ALL"
But with all these missries the Hazlebrook
miners, in common with nearly all of the miners
In this region, are blessed with tho precious boon
of good health. THANK God we have few
funerals" exclaimed one of them: I'VE should be
hard pushed to bury the dead if We had. I'm
dertakers up in the coal country want cash
for their services, and cash is almost an I'M
known thing in Hazlsbrook. A year ago miner
and, as usual, a balance OF debt at the company
store. The miners were compelled to beg what
cash needed to bury their friend from the
young men and from miners at the other collier
les, who gave lt cheerfully. contribution
taken for the widow, but no cash could be
handed over to her, for there was cash to be
only means the miners possessed to
make their contribution to have
the widow credited for the amount OF the
total contribution and their individual accounts
charged with the amount each had contributed.
How much of this went to square up the
count of the dead miner on the firms books the
contributors don't know up TO this day. Includ-
ing this accident there have been but three
deaths at the mine in three years. But il grim
death Is something OF n stranger in the rude lit
tie hamlet, his brother. the tax collector. is
regular Ms the sun. But he, too. must 20 TO the
store, for the gaping purse of the miner would
not pay oven his commission much less his levy.
II, when q year be closed, and by dipt of hard
work. close economy and good luck the miner
finds that he has a few dollars in cash ahead.
doctor and the priest. No account is made from
month to month on the checks from the COM
panys book-keeper of the charge for doctor
priest If there be no balance due the miner. But
the moment a balance is found, down go all the
back dues of the doctor. If that be sufficient to
square the account we'll and good: if not, the
priests dues are deducted: and il there be yet q
balance the cashier pays it over with wry face
and an inward determination to be sure and
make the next months account square. 1t is
not often, however that tho priests dues are
quired; the doctors fees generally enough to
turn the scale.
But it must not be too hastily assumed that
Hazlebrook has not its counterparts in the coal
region. Unfortunately the colliery there is but
q type OF too many others in which
later the trodden worm will turn and there will
be revolts and trouble The same firm operates
another colliery here which is managed
Under the same system, and where equal hard
ships to be found. Here and there there
are others some bad az the Hazlebrook
mine, some of them said to be even worse AL
most ct every mine the vicious company store
system 60 be found, the evils Of which are
only mitEsted by handy opposition stores. At
almost all of these mines every body is paid be-
fore the miners who dig the coal from the
bowels Of the earth. The supply men, the min
ing police, the mining operators the doctor all
are paid ready money from the gross earnings
of the miner before he I'm ger a penny of the
cash What's left he gets and. taking the entire
coal region through, what's left beyond bare
living is shamefully little